Abdul-Jabbar Joins New Team, Makes It to NBA Finals Again

Ready for the announcing team of Keith Olbermann and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar?

It’s coming your way during the NBA finals.

Abdul-Jabbar will join Olbermann in the Channel 2 studios for postgame shows during the championship series. Question: Will it be “The Keith and Kareem Show” . . . or (deep breath) “The Olbermann and Abdul-Jabbar Show”?

The retired Laker center may not be as loquacious as Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda, who hooked up with Channel 4’s Fred Roggin during the 1988 World Series, and then again after the 1989 Super Bowl. But Olbermann is optimistic.

“Who else knows more about basketball--or life, for that matter--than Kareem?” said Olbermann, who added that he will treat Abdul-Jabbar more as a co-host than as a guest analyst.

One thing this gig will do for Abdul-Jabbar is give him some needed on-air experience.

“We’re hoping he’ll be good enough so that we can send a tape to NBC,” said Leonard Armato, Abdul-Jabbar’s attorney.

Abdul-Jabbar has expressed interest in being part of NBC’s NBA coverage next season, preferably as a host or feature reporter.

“We hope we can find a spot for him,” said Terry O’Neil, executive producer of NBC Sports.

The “Today” show has gained a co-host, but SportsChannel hasn’t totally lost an Angel commentator.

Beginning June 4, Joe Garagiola will join Bryant Gumbel, Deborah Norville and crew on “Today” three days a week--Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Until then, he will work Angel SportsChannel telecasts on May 23, 25 and 30. After that, he will work weekend telecasts when possible, said Lynn Woodard, SportsChannel L.A. general manager.

Garagiola said he will continue to live in Paradise Valley, Ariz., near Scottsdale, and commute to New York and Anaheim Stadium.

Garagiola said the seed was planted for his return to NBC when he made a fill-in appearance on “Today” in January.

“Bryant and Gene Shallit kidded me about coming back and making other appearances,” Garagiola said. “Shallit suggested once a month. I told him he could be my agent. I guess he did a pretty good job.”

Television’s penchant for showing oddball events never seems to subside. The other day came news of a one-on-one basketball tournament for pay-per-view, planned for June 25.

Now comes word of a golf event pitting Greg Norman against Wayne Gretzky, Ivan Lendl and Larry Bird, which actually might be pretty interesting.

The “Norman Challenge,” as it’s being called, will be held July 14-15 in Rogers, Ark. Trans World International will produce it for CBS.

Nine holes will be shown the first day, nine more the second. The three-man team will play a scramble--or best-ball--format.

The Lakers’ final TV appearance of the season Tuesday night drew a record Los Angeles Nielsen cable rating, Prime Ticket reporting a 30.1.

The loss to Phoenix was seen in 626,300 households, almost one-third of L.A.’s cable TV households. The overall rating for all TV households was 15.1.

Add ratings: Rick Feldman, Channel 13 station manager, said the 5.7 overall Nielsen rating that Prime Ticket reported for the Kings’ double-overtime victory over Calgary on April 21 was incorrect. Feldman said the rating was actually 4.1.

Prime Ticket admitted the mistake, saying it was a communication error. The peak rating was a 5.7, the average a 4.1.

Merlin Olsen could be the next sportscaster to change networks, going from NBC to CBS.

NBC has given Olsen permission to look elsewhere, and he said he has talked with CBS.

Look for NBC to name one or two new football commentators soon.

Ted Nathanson, longtime football director for NBC, was hired by SportsChannel to work the Stanley Cup finals.

All that happened in Nathanson’s first telecast was a three-overtime game that was delayed during the third overtime by a power outage.

In all, the telecast lasted six hours.

Welcome aboard, Ted.

In a series beginning this weekend called “Athletes in Rehab,” FNN Sports will take a look at athletes who have experienced drug-abuse problems.

During the next seven weeks, 2 1/2-minute segments will be shown during FNN’s weekend “Final Score” programs, from 7 p.m. to midnight.

Sportscaster Wayne Root has traveled the country for interviews. The series will conclude with a one-hour special in early July.

TV-Radio Notes

How about a team of Brent Musburger and Jim Valvano? ABC, Musburger’s new employer, reportedly is interested in Valvano as a college basketball commentator. . . . Attention, boxing fans: HBO has what should be a good fight Saturday at 7 p.m.--Pernell Whitaker vs. Azumah Nelson. . . . Showtime will televise the June 1 fight between Evander Holyfield and Seamus McDonough. . . . NBC has added another edition of the “Greatest Fights Ever” series. On July 28, the network will show a tape of the 1971 Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier fight, their first.

Channel 11 weekend sportscaster Tom Nettles, a cousin of former major leaguer Graig Nettles, has apparently left the station in a contract dispute. Greg Wyatt and Joe Buttitta have been filling in. . . . The NFL’s Fastest-Man competition is being held Saturday at the College of the Desert in Palm Desert and will be televised by NBC on Aug. 5

Prime Ticket has taken some heat in Phoenix for so-called biased coverage in its follow-up reports of the baseball brawl between USC and Arizona State on April 14. The network will respond on “It’s Your Call” Wednesday at 6 p.m.